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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · staff · chest · bass · firm · capital · stick · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — low music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bound — certain
  11. chest — a box
  12. capital — money
  13. firm — steady
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — obliged
  18. firm — decided
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com